Friends of Pool 9 Mississippi River Clean-Up taking place this Saturday

Those who are concerned about preserving the Mississippi River as a host for recreation and nature-lovers, both now and in the future, should consider participating in the Friends of Pool 9 River Clean-Up scheduled for Saturday, April 13 from 8 a.m. to noon.

People interested in helping with this clean-up should contact the group leaders at the following towns to get their assignments and sign-up sheets. Those group leaders are:
• De Soto, WI - Jerry Boardman, 563-419-7968
• Ferryville, WI - Larry Quamme, 920-948-2245
• Lynxville, WI - Mark Schneden, 608-412-0483
• New Albin - Jim Erbe, 563-419-1085
• Lansing - Alex Galema, 563-568-7294.

Each individual must sign a liability waiver. Those under the age of 18 must have signed parental permission to participate. Volunteers will receive gloves, garbage bags and water when they arrive. Dumpsters will be placed at strategic places on both sides of the river.

Pool 9 is the stretch of the Mississippi River that exists between Lock 8 at Genoa, WI and Lock 9 at Lynxville, WI on the river. The Friends of Pool 9 are stewards/caretakers of that section of the river. For several years, they have spearheaded a spring clean-up to get the river ready for summer fun.

This involves cleaning up trash and debris along the shores, on the islands and in the river itself.

Participants have noted that the clean-up has traditionally been a great activity for families to share knowledge about being caretakers of this beautiful stretch of the Mississippi River. Past volunteer clean-ups have collected more than 168,800 pounds (84.4 tons) of debris from the river and recorded over 9,900 hours of volunteer time. In 2022, 100 volunteers collected 12,160 pounds. Last year’s clean-up event was postponed because of flooding so the clean-up was done as needed by individuals.